Scabbard fitting



vJune 29, 1965 E. L. BECKWITH SCABBARD FITTING Filed July 7, 1964 FIG.2

FIG..|

INVENTOR.

EDWIN L. BECKWITH BY Z ,uw r/w 7 f ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,191,825 CABBARD FETTHJG Edwin L. Becirwith, Brookline, Mass, assignor to Beciswith-Arden Inn, Watertown, Mass, a corporation of New Hampshire Filed Italy 7, HM, Ser. No. 380,761 Claims. (Ci. 2242) This invention comprises a new and improved metal fitting for the open end of a scabbard for a knife or bayonnet.

The object of the invention is to provide a scabbard fitting that may be formed conveniently and at little expense from a blank of sheet metal by conventional punching and bending operations and that will contain a bushing of plastic material for protecting the sharp edge of the implement from being dulled by contact with the metal of the fitting.

The fitting of this invention includes a sleeve shaped to receive the open end of the scabbard and which merges into a perforated top plate. This in turn merges rearwardly into an upstanding shank for attachment to the belt of the wearer and also merges laterally into Wings that serve to retain the inserted plastic bushing in the upper end of the sleeve and to shed Water from the open end of the scabbard. In the fitting herein disclosed the sleeve, shank and top plate may be formed from a single blank of sheet steel and manufactured in quantity with extreme accuracy and a minimum of expense.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which- FIG. 1 is a view in elevation partly in section showing the fitting as assembled with a scabbard,

FIG. 2 is a corresponding edge View, and

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective showing the parts in exploded relation.

The fitting of the present invention is herein shown in its application to a scabbard which may be molded of an acetyl resin or any suitable moldable resin such as vinyl acetate aldehyde with or without an enclosed reinforcing sheet of impregnated fiber. In molding the scabbard projecting ribs 11 are formed at either side and a notch 12 is molded into its upper end face.

The fitting herein shown may be punched as a single fiat blank from sheet steel 0.040 inch or thereabout in thickness. The blank may be then pressed or formed into a tubular sleeve 13 having a welded lapped joint 14 in its rear side.

The sleeve 13 merges at its upper end into a rearwardly extending top plate 15 and this is extended upwardly to form a shank 16. Reinforcing and stififening ribs 17 extend from the top plate 15 into the upwardly standing shank 16 and the shank is perforated to receive rivets for securing the fitting to the belt or other part of a uniform. It will be noted that the reinforcing ribs 17 extend across the fold vertex of the shank 16.

The sleeve 13 is provided at opposite sides with downwardly extending ears 18 and there are arranged to be bent inwardly beneath the ribs 11 of the scabbard in assembling the fitting with the scabbard.

At the upper end of the sleeve 13 and at each side thereof are formed outwardly and downwardly inclined wings 19. The front upper edge of the sleeve is inturned to form a narrow flange 20 and the rear end of the sleeve is turned outwardly forming flanges 21 which are Welded to the lower surface of the top plate 15 as suggested in FIG. 2.

The fitting also includes an elongated bushing 22 as shown in FIG. 3 which is shaped to fit into the notch 12 of the scabbard and has outwardly projecting ears which overlie the upper ends of the ribs 11 and are engaged and held in place by the Wings 19 of the fitting The bushing has an elongated recess which coincides with the internal dimensions of the scabbard. The fitting is completed by a pair of springs 23 of sheet steel which are arranged to be hooked over the opposite sides of the scabbard as shown in FIG. 2 and which will engage an inserted knife blade with frictional contact preventing its accidental withdrawal.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail an illustrative embodiment thereof '1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A scabbard fitting comprising a sleeve of sheet metal merging rearwardly into a top plate having an upstanding shank, merging transversely at both sides into downwardly inclined wings and merging forwardly into an inturned flange, and a plastic bushing contained within the upper end of the sleeve and having projecting ears at both sides anchoring it beneath the inclined wings of the top plate.

2. A scabbard fitting as described in claim 1, further characterized in that the ears of said plastic bushing extend transversely and flush with its bottom surface in position for supporting contact with ribs at the top of a scabbard inserted in the fitting.

3. A scabbard fitting as described in claim 1, further characterized in that the plastic bushing is tubular in form and that its ears project outwardly from its lower end and are engaged between the inclined wings of the top plate and projecting ribs of an inserted scabbard.

4. A scabbard fitting as described in claim 1, further characterized in that the top plate has corrugations therein which cross the fold vertex of the shank and extend upwardly in the shank.

5. A scabbard fitting comprising a sleeve of sheet metal transversely elongated and having a welded joint in its rear side, the sleeve merging at its upper end into a rearwardly extending top plate and having rearwardly extending angle lugs secured to the under surface of the top plate and transversely extending wings at either end, and a plastic bushing fitting the upper end of the sleeve with ears extending widthwise of the fitting in contact with said wings thus retaining the bushing in the sleeve.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 785,829 3/05 Powell 2242.4 2,310,204 2/43 Beckwith et a1. 2242.4 2,316,766 4/43 Beckwith et a1. 2242.4

2,538,424 1/51 Moehle 2242.4

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SCABBARD FITTING COMPRISING A SLEEVE OF SHEET METAL MERGING REARWARDLY INTO A TOP PLATE HAVING AN UPSTANDING SHANK, MERGING TRANSVERSELY AT BOTH SIDES INTO DOWNWARDLY INCLINED WINGS AND MERGING FORWARDLY INTO AN INTURNED FLANGE, AND A PLASTIC BUSHING CONTAINED WITHIN 